scuba tank life

[bottomjerk]

have a chance to buy 4 steel low pressure tanks ,with hi pressure disk installed
was wondering what the life expectancy of steel tanks are ,the tanks are 1999
and stored under pressure,the seller is a long time friend and cant dive anymore
was wondering if they were worth getting not sure of manufacterer but the are 100+
cubic feet and he says he used to fill to 4000psi when he dove for he was an air hog
please advise thanks in advance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[MRadke]

I don't think I'd buy them without having them inspected first. The fact that you know he was inflating to 4000 raises a red flag. Intalling HP burst disks in a LP tank sounds like asking for trouble to me. Kind of like putting a 30 amp fuse in the box because the 20 amp keeps blowing and then wondering why the house burned down.

 

[ScubaBB]

Before you can use them they have to be approved anyway. I don't know the situation in the US. But in Europe bottles have to approved every two-five years, depending on the country.

 

[knowone]

I love the sound of tank bands pinging in the morning

 

[TMHeimer]

I got a steel 71.2 from 1976. It was stored full for 30 years. Had to have a bit of tumbling during the hydro, but it passed and works fine.

 

[RonFrank]

For a scuba tank to be worth anything it need to pass Hydro (every 5 years) and a vis annually. So make sure these can pass, and buy them if they are right for you. I may even offer to pay for a vis or hydro if they pass. Tanks are almost worthless without vis/hydro. I would not buy them if they do not have up to date stickers.

BTW a scuba tank can last 50 years, so a tank from the 90's is fine. But steel corrodes more so that alum. If the tanks have current stickers they are fine.

 

[TSandM]

We have a couple of steel 72s that date to the 1970s. Steel tanks, if cared for, last a long time.

If these are in viz and hydro, I wouldn't worry about their age. If they are not, then the seller needs to reduce the price accordingly, and you could offer a deal where you pay for the viz and hydro, but are not obligated to buy the tanks if they don't pass. (Of course, if the price isn't attractive enough, it's not worth your while to do that.)

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I have 2 steels from 53 and 55 respectively and they passed. In Europe they don't use burst disc's. As others have said buy only upon hydro and vis pass. Filling to 4000 a few times does not hurt most LP tanks rated to the 2400+ (2640). It is quite common for cave and wreck divers to push em to 3500-3800 on a regular basis.

 

[bottomjerk]

thank u everyone for your replys will take all comments into consideration in the matter